A workshop in which do-it-yourself manipulation
of ordinairy bicycles leads to high-end
sound-generators and performing instruments.
Bring a bike and transform it together with the
knowledge and enthousiasm of inventor-artist
Kaspar König.

Creating acoustic extensions for the bicycle
sounds like a contradiction-in-terms to the
design of a bicycle. In this workshop everybody
is invited to discover the many sounds hidden in
the bicycle itself and the bicycling. To make a
regular bicycle-sound we can easily neglect the
maintainance of a bicycle. By not only turning
the bicycle upside down but by actively
adding sound-sensors, we'll discover the
possibilities of soundbiking. Add-ons can be
everything from a playing-card and laundry
wedges, to fully powered amplification for
strings, microphones and all other things that
fit the conditions of the soundbicycle and its
creative maker.

How can a bicycle brake become a brake beat?
By turning the wheel regularly, a bicycle likely
becomes a time-pulse or measure. By finding the
right spots to control the sound input, more
musical patterns can be discovered while the
wheel is turning. Now it's up to our imagination
to invent all kinds of little things we could try
to mount on the existing mechanisms as well as
discover new mechanisms.

Can every bicycle become a musical instrument?
Basically yes, if some parts are still rotating,
sounds can be created. Although a full functional
bicycle can ride on the streets and the street is
the best trigger for the soundbike!

Is there a composition in the street?
That is a good question. For many reasons I
believe several streets sound better then others
with and without the use of a soundbike,
depending on the charactaristics of the bike and
the street. Drive your soundbike outside and
experience the biggest score of the world: the
street! Let your ear decide!

The fee for the workshop is €100, registration
can be done only through the STEIM website, at
http://www.steim.org/steim/workshops.php .
For questions please email knock@steim.nl or call +31 206228690.

Also:

AUDIOSPORT Lecture

A lecture on the works of Kaspar König: Recycling
firehose, Transmitting Object Behaviours,
Architectural Acoustic research (xiloseum), Mr.
Bend and
How sound meets sport in the festival called Audiolympics, Beijing 08.

A concert with Kaspar König and guests playing
the soundbikes and the circuitbended
hardwarehacks like the Audioshaver from China.
More information www.kasparkoenig.com

Biography

Kaspar König (1975) is a dutch artist living in
Berlin and Maastricht . He studied Industrial
Design at the UdK in Berlin. He is interested in
the goods for daily use and their sound-universe.
He invents instruments like the Soundbikes and
Mr. Bend and he recycles firehoses in a delicate
way. Furthermore he composes soundpieces for
(dance) theatre. Recently he started working as
a lecturer at the Cafa in Beijing. He also
organizes the Audiolympics, an off-festival
during the Olympic Games, with the contribution
of artists on the threshold between music and
sports. www.kasparkoenig.com